Principal Investigator(s):
Gurin, Gerald, University of Michigan;
Matlock, John, University of Michigan

Summary:

The Michigan Student Study was designed to examine the
factors that influence students' intellectual responses to issues of
racial and ethnic diversity. The focus was not only on the attitudes
and experiences of students of color (Asian American, Latino/Hispanic,
African American and Native American students) but on the contribution
of diversity to the broader intellectual experiences of White students
as well. The longitudinal design of the Michigan Study allowed for
consideration of what students bring to the university at entrance, as
well as documenting important changes as they move toward graduation.
One set of questions addressed the general undergraduate experience of
students at the University of Michigan, the positive and negative
aspects of their experiences with faculty, interactions with fellow
students, extracurricular involvements, reactions to their academic
and intellectual experiences, and how similar or different the
experiences of students of different racial/ethnic backgrounds were.
Another set of questions dealt with the racial "climate" on campus,
the degree of racial tension, the students' perceptions of and
responses to the University's commitment to multiculturalism and
diversity, the perceptions and views that students brought to the
campus and how much they were affected and changed by their
experiences at the University of Michigan, the positive aspects and
specific arenas of concern for the various groups of students around
multiculturalism, and the relevancy of the University's commitment to
multiculturalism and diversity.

The Michigan Student Study was designed to examine the
factors that influence students' intellectual responses to issues of
racial and ethnic diversity. The focus was not only on the attitudes
and experiences of students of color (Asian American, Latino/Hispanic,
African American and Native American students) but on the contribution
of diversity to the broader intellectual experiences of White students
as well. The longitudinal design of the Michigan Study allowed for
consideration of what students bring to the university at entrance, as
well as documenting important changes as they move toward graduation.
One set of questions addressed the general undergraduate experience of
students at the University of Michigan, the positive and negative
aspects of their experiences with faculty, interactions with fellow
students, extracurricular involvements, reactions to their academic
and intellectual experiences, and how similar or different the
experiences of students of different racial/ethnic backgrounds were.
Another set of questions dealt with the racial "climate" on campus,
the degree of racial tension, the students' perceptions of and
responses to the University's commitment to multiculturalism and
diversity, the perceptions and views that students brought to the
campus and how much they were affected and changed by their
experiences at the University of Michigan, the positive aspects and
specific arenas of concern for the various groups of students around
multiculturalism, and the relevancy of the University's commitment to
multiculturalism and diversity.

Access Notes

Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions.
Please log in so we can determine if you are with a member institution and have
access to these data files.

One or more files in this collection have special restrictions
; consult the
restrictions note to learn more.

To preserve respondent anonymity, certain identifying variables are restricted from general dissemination. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete an Agreement for the Use of Confidential Data, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research. Apply for access to these data through the ICPSR Restricted Data Contract Portal, which can be accessed via the study home page.

Universe:
Students entering the University of Michigan as
undergraduates in the fall of 1990.

Data Type(s):
survey data, and administrative records data

Data Collection Notes:

(1) Copies of all papers written on the basis of these
data should be sent to John Matlock. (2) Related information can be
found at Michigan Student Study,
http://www.umich.edu/~oami/mss/index.htm.

Methodology

Sample:
Respondents to surveys sent to students in the fall of
1990. The random sample of White students in the follow-up survey was
chosen in a ratio of 3 to 2 of respondents and nonrespondents of the
Entrance Survey (Fall 1990).

Version(s)

Original ICPSR Release: 2004-10-08

Version History:

2005-12-15 On 2005-08-15 new files were added to one
or more datasets. These files included additional setup files as well
as one or more of the following: SAS program, SAS transport, SPSS portable,
and Stata system files. The metadata record was revised 2005-12-15 to
reflect these additions.

2004-11-11 The codebook for this study has been updated to
include a processing note, to remove identifiers found in the
documentation, and to include updated variable value descriptions in
the List of Variables.